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Post by PB on Apr 20, 2020 6:42:21 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 20/04/20"Monday, Monday, so good to me; Monday morning, it was all I hoped it would be."The evocative words of the Mamas & Papas from way back in the mid/late sixties. Strange how a song can bring back memories of specific times, certain people, very important people, events, circumstances now just caught in the mind's remaining synapses (or whatever bits deal with ancient emotions)...Well, it's certainly Monday and looking out the window it's about what I hoped it would be. Clear skies, empty skies, but a reasonable day awaits from the meteorological point of view. It's my Dad's birthday today, how I'd like to wish him a Happy one, now that would be a Monday morning as I hoped it would be..
Moving on to other heavenly matters. I learned about Starlink last night after a report that aircraft had been seen travelling over northern Hampshire in formation at night. Turns out it was indeed a formation, but not formations as we know them.. Starlink, as I'm sure most will already know, is the SpaceX operation whereby clusters of satellites are placed in Earth orbit to support global communications. Judging by a web based tracker they will be crossing northern Hampshire at 21.58 BST tonight on a west to east trajectory. There are various tracker web sites to help see these passing displays.. I've got this one and live in hopes for tonight.. findstarlink.comAs we're talking 'heavenly bodies' at this stage of Monday morning I'll just say that this was one of my favourite Blackbushe heavenly bodies. Beloved G-BVOL who took us to numerous air shows around the UK back in '95. Based her at Blackbushe after an amazing phone call one evening asking if I'd like to take over her operations and make money to support her continued life in the air. Never say "No" to a challenge, I was in heaven having a Dakota to look after, fly around the airshows with her, and spend down time cleaning Blackbushe bird poo off her hard to reach places whilst mopping up the liberal flow of oil from her P&Ws. With a Dakota you worry when the oil stops dripping, or so I was assured.... She had to be sold after the CAA demanded mods that were way beyond the purse strings. But what a year she gave us.. ..Drag Racing days. This is what happens when the airfield is taken over for a non aviation event and it's supposed to be cleared and ready for flying by a certain time on Sunday evening!! But wasn't!!! We'd been to France via Three Counties Tri-Pacer for the weekend to keep out of the way while high powered land borne vehicles ripped up the runway, unfortunately they failed to clear the site on time! Lasham was our chosen alternate where we landed despite the engine cutting as we approached Odiham village, carb icing quickly defeated by carb hot air application..an interesting few moments nonetheless! Dear Derek Johnson was PIC.. Destructive work to the Blackbushe apron and runways by local authorities is plain to see....
Talking of lucky stars, maybe at just before ten tonight we can stare out into the heavens and marvel at Elon Musk's star fleet as it passes overhead?
PB
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Post by PB on Apr 21, 2020 6:07:31 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 21/04/2021st April, just another 2020 day. "2020", historically a term used as an expression regarding our vision, normal visual acuity. Our future vision of 2020, if we're spared long enough to develop historic visions, will be anything but "normal"! We have slipped into the most disturbing of science fiction environments where a bustling high technology world is brought to its knees in the shortest of time by an evil sadistic invisible killer, a killer that lurks around every corner, every mode of transport, everybody you meet (met) might be working for the microscopic invader.. It's even closed Blackbushe, the ultimate of horrors, although yesterday proved that a vestige of life still flows through her veins...The Airport grass was being cut, news courtesy of the Blackbushe webcam, obviously those of advanced years would never consider venturing out such distances to witness the spectacle first hand!
Yesterday POTD mentioned Elon Musk's "Starlink" satellites and their forecast appearance over England at 21.58 BST. Well, I saw nothing, lots of stars, and one or two satellites tracking toward the east around the appointed time. Seems that the 'convoy' has spaced out over time? Tonight they are said to be back an hour earlier..at least it should be another starry sky to behold, if nothing else.
Another day of empty daylight skies no doubt lies ahead. A red kite brought some excitement into my local airspace yesterday, a couple of vapour trails as FedEx MDS-11's went about their business and I do believe Farnborough hosted a couple of movements? Heathrow at 06.00 this morning showed around six inbounds closing in for their run across Windsor, mainly BA long haul. Whilst we are in lock down shackles to save the NHS, and ourselves, I just wonder where all these arriving passengers from far away places are going? The numerous AZ services from FCO, for example?In less troubled times Blackbushe Airport welcomed many from around the world. Others left the country...Some times arriving aeroplanes would regurgitate their breakfast..Doves probably a little hard to digest fully?Gems flying out of Blackbushe made the press long ago, but today there can be no dispute that Blackbushe Airport is herself a unique and precious General Aviation 'gem'..It's just so unfortunate this gem has been 'held up' for so long by blinkered bureaucracy's Highway Men....Hopefully see you one Earth rotation from now..
PB
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Post by PB on Apr 22, 2020 8:32:50 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 22/04/20Got the date right, but had to check to see what day of the week we've reached... The grey matter is obviously going the way of setting cement? Since last uttering the daily POTD offering to whoever finds it fluttering amid their megabytes I note with total shock we've had just short of a thousand visits since this time yesterday. Another 87 and we'd have crossed an extraordinary 1K.. Looking at the date, 22nd April, it's worthy of note that on this day in 1912 Englishman Denys Corbett Wilson became the first to fly an aeroplane from Britain to Ireland. I'm assuming he flew back too?
Bit of a late start today, maybe the setting cement syndrome, but here we are with a few more photos from yesterday, well a while ago.. Talking of yesterday, reports of a maintenance flight's departure from Blackbushe stirred hopes that one day we'll replace the interminable silence with the sound of General Aviation again.. Sadly, yesterday's flight would be indicative of the crazy plight of Blackbushe. One of the best, if not THE best GA runways in the south-east and no technical services due to ancient rights and the bumbling blinkered bureaucrats who have spent sixty years saying "No" to Blackbushe enjoying the engineering and hangarage facilities that any self respecting aerodrome should be able to offer. Where the logic hangs by blocking employment opportunities, blocking an enterprise that will fund the local economy, and bereaving GA of a much needed facility I do not know...Apart from the windsock's creaking as the easterly air flows through its funnel the airfield will be spending another quietish day.. The contrast with savouring the results of many months effort, sweat, slog and even tears on a sunny Blackbushe day is beyond description. Happy moments from the Blackbushe 75th speak loud on quiet days like today..The chains of command. Local dignitaries surround Harold Bamberg, the man who founded Eagle Airways, once Blackbushe Airport's largest resident airline and a spearhead of British independent airline operations..recalled vividly as Blackbushe Airport turned 75."Champagne at the Blitz" perform, we turned Blackbushe into somewhere were our gallant volunteers and thousands of visitors combined music, dancing, aeroplanes, history, great food and drink into a 'different to usual' weekend that was blessed with glorious weather. Looking back this morning via the Airport webcam at a very still Blackbushe there comes a retrospective that this was another life, another world...Visiting pilots always received the cheerful Blackbushe "Welcome"...Some just couldn't help falling for Blackbushe. Quite understandable!Others couldn't stay for long..Plenty of opportunities to spend your cash....or just soaking up the Blackbushe atmosphere, the weekend took its place in the Airport's record books. Will such an occasion happen again? I know our brilliant volunteers will be up for it, and funnily enough I wouldn't mind another bash either!...anyway, it's back to lock down, waiting for the grass to grow so as I can flex the mowing skills once again. A little less breezy today, no doubt the creaking windsock will be pleased!
PB
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Post by PB on Apr 23, 2020 6:37:40 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 23/04/20Another day has dawned, they seem to do it most days. Beyond the window there appear to be skies once again unbroken by anything. The moisture content of the atmosphere has been very low, it's got nothing to make clouds with. Vapour trails are rare and often short lived. Yesterday's time released from the cell to enable compulsory gardening and further wearing of the grass from one's regular ten minute walks (to be taken three times a day) proved very little is up there enjoying the blue beyond. The old firm, KLM, traversed from Amsterdam to Panama City, a buzzard circled in thermals at around 500 to 800ft, the airflow from the north gradually moving him/her towards the south. Later a Red Kite repeated the thermal soaring demo with its superior aerodynamics and flying surfaces. You could see him/her plunging a wing into the latest lift and gyrating merrily as it carried him/her higher in the relentless search for hapless rodents below. The passing KLM flight took me back to clockwork aeroplanes, analogue aviation, so much has changed from the days of plotting your MAC on a sheet of paper and either a circular 'slide rule' or even a plastic curve to draw around once you'd established your relevant weights. It's all for the birds nowadays...the birds yesterday took me back years to my blissful days of radio control thermal soaring and building large gliders with which to go find 'em. I suddenly feel terribly 'sedentary' (horrid word!) in this seventh decade looking back on the joys of the past and what aviation has given me in so many ways.. The present "ball and chain" existence is not helping.
Looking back in time for a moment, looking forward fails to offer much, I note that on this day, 23rd April, in 2005 the Cessna Citation Mustang made its first flight. An aeroplane whose relevance subsequently played its hand in the history of Blackbushe... Blink. Seemingly in a blink their operation at Blackbushe passed on, but without the power that lay behind them it is very possible that Blackbushe Airport would be no more today?A Blackbushe moment of Mustangs snatched from a moment during the airfield's 75th Anniversary weekend. That's today's moments wrapped up...
Enjoy the blue skies!
PB
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Post by PB on Apr 24, 2020 5:55:40 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 24/04/20Yesterday, how was it for you?For all of us who feel akin to Blackbushe Airport it was a dark day, one of the darkest for some time... 21,900 days in fact. Come the end of May this year that will be how many days (plus some adjustment for 15 Leap Years) some of us have hoped with every sinew that Blackbushe will one day retake its status as a fully recognised member of the nations General Aviation airport family. Hangars, new terminal, new lots of things..
The trials and tribulations have seemed endless. Yesterday's tragic news that Hampshire County Council's Judicial Review to overturn the Planning Inspector's Agreement to the de-registration of 114 acres of the Airport's Common Land has been successful came as a forceful body blow to senses that have for so long lived for the day when Blackbushe could truly celebrate "common sense". That day has gone, at least for quite some time, as our hopes of seeing the Blackbushe dreamed of for so long recede into that endless tunnel of hope. The 'tunnel' still exists, whether one will now reach the end of it is perhaps a little more questionable..
Please read, if you have not already done so, Chris Gazzard's notification on our Forum as to the state of play courtesy of Hampshire Count Council.. blackbusheairport.proboards.com/post/13521
Reading remarks on the Yateley social media pages added to the sadness of the day. People celebrating the fact that Blackbushe Airport has had the chance to develop smashed, celebrating the possible demise of all the businesses and livelihoods that depend on the airfield. Celebrating the loss of jobs and the removal of the employment potential a new Blackbushe would have given them, celebrating the fact that their local economy would lose the support a developed Blackbushe would have assured them. Sadly, most are ignorant of what Blackbushe's plans are, they scream about "new housing" or industrial development, all figments of their imaginations and propaganda fed by those parties who wish to see our Airport grounded. Ironically, these will be people who purchased the thousands of new homes built upon the once charming village of Yateley's green fields. Houses that would have been opposed by those who wanted Yateley to retain its charm. Judging by the literary remarks emanating from that once pleasant village it has truly lost its charm...
We can but hope that our County Council hold their heads with shame as to what they have inflicted on one of their precious counties great assets and opportunities. WE have had to pay for their mischief laden achievement too!!!
To say one is a little crest fallen would be the understatement of the past sixty years, but hope is still there to cling to. Whatever happens in the future, Blackbushe Airport and the many friends she has provided have given my life the most amazing past with opportunities and experiences I will always celebrate and be eternally grateful for.The field of dreams....they continue.Some parties wish to see the wilderness crossing the fence, consuming the entire Airport and turning it into a no mans land. They'll no doubt be after BCA next..?"Welcome to Blackbushe Airport".. The 'Welcome' lives on, it will be a very sad day if the bureaucrats and their cohorts finally extinguish it.... They have failed so far.Back to life at home...The day dawned with a diffused red and misty sky, a few shite hawks circling overhead and I could have been back in India as another furnace fired day awoke. A little cooler here perhaps, just memories fighting for survival and another day of lock-down begins. The fitness regime will see further wearing of the tracks around the garden where I'm doing at least three timed brisk walks per day to keep the Doctors happy and the pump pumping whilst socially segregating.. if anyone was able to see they'd probably liken this to the actions of a caged animal pacing its enclosure. (They'd be right!!). We're living through difficult times, and yesterday's news regarding the airfield did not boost morale significantly, but we have hope and we must hope that common sense will prevail and Blackbushe Airport will ride her latest set back with the determination that some of us have held onto for six decades..
PB
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Post by PB on Apr 25, 2020 10:26:20 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 25/04/20Apparently today is called Saturday? One of two days that once comprised something called "the weekend", now just shadows from the other life. You know, the one we used to enjoy when aeroplanes brought life to the skies, coffee was drunk at the Bushe Cafe, and we had hope in our hearts that Blackbushe would soon be able to build her new and long missed infrastructure. The BBC and media appear to be plugged into some kind of "Big Brother", "1984", or similar dystopian mass indoctrination to drive us to the verge of insanity by gloom, doom, and depression.. but we know in our hearts that before too long some of us will recall the days of the week with accuracy, and bit by bit life will be reassembled although the "old life" may be some way from total recovery.
Noting the lateness of the hour, "POTD" has seriously fallen down on the job. Ready to strike the keyboard at 05.30 and full of good intention the eyelids decided to shut up shop, and just between you and me, they refused to open until some while past the hour of eight.. Necessary eating and admin jobs have thus brought POTD to a 'mid morning' operation. Regret refunds will not be considered should your Corn Flakes have missed their daily sprinkling of POTD...
As mentioned in reply to a couple of our Members' contact with the Forum, I've just written to the Daily mail! Not about Blackbushe, maybe later, but a bid for their VE Day Spitfire salute to the NHS. Just write to the Daily Mail and nominate the NHS hospital you think warrants such a salute. For various reasons I have nominated Frimley Park, not least because of the great work they do for Covid 19 patients but also because of its military association since the Cambridge Military closed down. veday75@dailymail.co.uk is the address should you wish to nominate a particular hopsital.
Another bit of pending paper work over this time known as "weekend" will be an update to Grant Shapps at the DfT regarding Blackbushe. This follows my previous communication to him prior to the Judicial Review. Obviously Government ministers do not intervene in judicial matters, but if they ask to be kept briefed on eventualities it's the least one can do!!!This morning with my ears tuned to 122.305 there comes the sound of circuits, no longer an unpunctuated silence, Blackbushe Airport lives, I could get to like these things called "weekends"...I wonder if the old disused runways feel an increased heart rate at the return of sounds they too supported once upon a time?Back tomorrow, maybe in a more timely fashion?
If you're wondering why aeroplanes are flying, make the most of it..........TODAY ONLY
Blackbushe closed on Tuesday 24th March 2020 to recreational GA. As four weeks have now passed, many owners of resident aircraft need to conduct Engine Health Flights in accordance with CAA rules.
Blackbushe Airport will be accommodating these by opening for one day on Saturday 25th April 2020. Several operators have informed us their flights will be approximately 1 hour, as Continental and Lycoming both specify 1 hour flights for their engines and a large number of Blackbushe aircraft have these engines.
Pilots have been required to book slots with the airport between 09:00 and 18:00 local. Flights will be staggered throughout the day to enable social distancing measures to be observed.
We appreciate that local residents unfamiliar with the rules on GA flights may be concerned to see aircraft flying again from Blackbushe whilst other restrictions remain in place. Please be assured that we are opening strictly in accordance with DfT and CAA guidance, and are complying with social distancing during all operations at the airport.
Once these flights have been completed there will be no need for further Engine Health Flights for another 4 weeks. Maintenance and ferry flights will still continue.
PB
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Post by PB on Apr 26, 2020 6:32:20 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 26/04/20Imagine.
It's 1st June, 1960. The vast Blackbushe plateau silent for the first time since the War. Nothing moved, the reassuring sound of the aero engine was gone, the body of Blackbushe lay still, still as if some unseen virus had swept the land and taken all before it....
Imagine. A year or more later the silent and now broken body of Blackbushe awoke. Awoke to the unmistakable sound of an Army Beaver landing on her desolate lunar landscape. Her sleeping spirit may have opened one eye and questioned what was happening. Certain hostile local voices also awoke and asked the same.
Imagine. Imagine if you were one of the many who for years worked at and loved Blackbushe Airport, or imagine if you will, you're a youth of twelve who amid many of a similar vintage had developed a deep consuming love of this airfield, its life, and the sounds of the powerful piston engines of the day. A love that would last a lifetime? Imagine the depth of the silence that consumed Blackbushe Airport in the weeks, months, years to come and how deeply so many would have loved to hear the old sounds of Blackbushe play their wonderful song just once more. That twelve year old vowed through his tears that one day he'd do something to bring some of those sounds back. It took until 1977, but imagine....or 2008 when four massive P&W's came back home?
Imagine. If exactly sixty years after that all consuming silence was first heard it came back? The Airport laid silent once again. Imagine if an unseen virus had swept across the land and silenced all before it? Science fiction at its best perhaps, or hard fact at its worst? We know the truth, the awful truth.
Imagine. Imagine yesterday!.. The deafening silence had returned to Blackbushe for a second time, the silence that had long ago consumed the Airport's broken body had returned, but just for yesterday it was swept to one side. This time the aeroplanes had not been forced to leave, they'd just been waiting silenced as they sat and bided their time to fly again. One day a month resident aircraft may fly for their health and certification reasons and probably for their pilots' health too!
Imagine. Yesterday whilst pacing the lawn to maintain some degree of health within the ticking time bomb, from the distance came the sound of aero engines once again. Life wasn't over, Blackbushe was alive, she'd spoken, her resolute spirit soared again..once again she had broken a seemingly eternal silence!
Imagine. A County Council and the action of a few local bureaucrats trying to silence the enduring spirit of Blackbushe? Imagine you may, but surely they never will..
The sound of silence......1977, "the sounds" recaptured... the sweet sound of turbo driven yesterdays..the older and the newer reunited....some came for the first and only time.....two old shapes came back to make a movieSeveral of these old gals have been back to Blackbushe!Joyfully a passing Connie heading for Farnborough took time out to say "Goodbye" to the airfield where once her shape and size were quite the norm... ..but, in 2008, the spirits of Blackbushe past must have soared to ever greater heights, the living legend G-APSA came to say "Hello again!" to her old home, and sadly also "Goodbye"..On 25th April, 2020, the abiding spirit of Blackbushe unfurled once again! It was blindingly obvious that to many it was a moment of celebration, the sound of aero engines again endorsed her fight for life, the "Battle for Blackbushe" goes on without hesitation despite the efforts of a virus or certain local bureaucracy and the sound of callous commentary from some quarters. Through tears and laughter, joy and tragedy, the enduring spirit showed her mettle, she's here to stay and hopefully all who tune in to this Sunday's POTD are all of the same accord? You're welcome to say so in the POTD "comments"......... ?? Time for breakfast....
PB
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Post by PB on Apr 27, 2020 7:06:40 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 27/04/20Blue skies replaced by grey skies, maybe the garden will be repaid for its 'lock-down' services with a drink served from above later?
Social media groups related to the Blackbushe area chirped up as the sound of aero engines from Blackbushe returned to the sky on Saturday. Remarks ranged from the callous and objectionable, ignorant of the facts, rude, and abusive, to others who were very much supportive and appreciative of the benefits of Blackbushe when seeing life return to the skies. I tend not to get wound up by them but couldn't resist the bait they cast! I too wrote and expressed some politely straight facts in answer to "it's going to be a housing estate", and various other uninformed snipes that appear from time to time. It's a sad part of social media living how the biased, uninformed, gullible, and down right rude members of society feel free to verbally ride rough shod over whoever they choose.. That's life 21st Century style.
Elsewhere on the Forum the I've updated the section on COVID 19 NOTAMS, Thruxton receiving today's amendment. A link should you wish... blackbusheairport.proboards.com/post/13339
Also included notification from the APPG whereby they are seeking finance from the Treasury to support UK aviation through the Covid crisis. Another link.. blackbusheairport.proboards.com/post/13549
I also wrote to Grant Shapps DfT offices over the weekend offering a brief update on Blackbushe's current status. Apart from that I've returned my eyes to roving the vast blue skies now and again should an occasionally flying machine pass by to remind me of how it was in the 'old life'. Farnborough were on westerleys for a change and indeed twice the sound of departing jet traffic was heard. Unlike how Sunday afternoons used to be in the 'other world' where bizz jets swelled Farnborough's landing fee uptake by generous numbers. £££'s.
No matter what, the sign or sound of an aeroplane in flight blocks all my other senses, I have to stop, watch and listen until it's no more. Dunno why, but since that day when I was four and a red biplane flew overhead home and I, transfixed, remained locked on until it was gone beyond view.. Maybe God was handing out aerogenes on the day he decided to make me? An IB Madrid bound service caught my eye yesterday, other than that it was sparrows, pigeons, and off track sea gulls for wing bound entertainment. Not even a Red Kite to impress me with his (or her) superior airmanship.. Talking of aeroplanes 'passing by', this C-130 took a look back in 2016..Jamie of the Tower established contact with the driver where by an approach was executed. Furthered discussion lead to their agreement to attend the 2016 Air Day with the demo Hercules, but sadly cometh the day they were called away to some other duty..For sixty years Blackbushe has been a "field of dreams" for some of us.. I guess this has some dream like quality about it?Dear old Blackbushe. You couldn't have a General Aviation business airport in the south-east in a more environmentally superior location than this. So tragic our County Council and their pals have done their best to screw it this year. But, it's not over yet...Me thinks t'is time to go. Continue to stay safe!!
PB
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Post by PB on Apr 28, 2020 6:55:13 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 28/04/20What a difference a day makes, or in this case, a night... The UV pumping blue skies replaced by a liberal covering of cloud providing a reasonable supply of water to the garden - to no doubt accelerate the grass growth..The roof mounted weather station indicates it drank .25 of an inch of rain overnight..
Some snippets from history relating to today's date.. In 1924 Imperial Airways inaugurated their London/Paris DH34 service from Croydon.. Imperial developed numerous UK domestic routes plus increased links to the continent of Europe as well as pioneering long haul services. The need and benefits of UK domestic routes were recognised and appreciated as being as a necessity to link the corners of the British Isles, such a shame this was not realised when the sun set on FlyBe recently. FlyBe provided a vital and necessary answer to keeping the UK linked together, another sad sunset on British aviation.
In 1948, on this day, Air France flew the first non-stop sleeper Constellation service from Orly to New York. Apparently it took just one minute over sixteen hours. Thirteen hours in a 707 seemed quite a long period as we plied the Los Angeles to Heathrow service long ago!
Also on this day in 1948, the United States Navy launched two P2V Neptune aircraft from the USS Coral Sea off the coast of Virginia. The first carrier launch of any P2V Neptune aircraft, this marked the launch of the United States carrier-based nuclear strike capability.Which brings us to Blackbushe. The Lockheed Neptune was the most regular of sights at Blackbushe Airport during the golden 1950's when United States Navy established their only UK land base here..Being a stolid Naval aircraft the Neptune was not put off by the occasional puddle...and, of course, the United States built a vast hangar at Blackbushe to house their very busy operations.. A hangar that was eventually demolished and replaced by a Council approved business park, the very thing today's opponents of Blackbushe say will be built if the Airport's few operational acres were de-registered. You couldn't make it up....It was not just US Navy Neptunes that enjoyed Blackbushe, the Royal Netherlands Navy and some more puddles..Ahh, such a vista could make a grown man cry. A Neptune with the immaculate panorama of Blackbushe "east" around her. An area destroyed by local council cash and today something of an overgrown no mans land. Some of Airworks premises of WW2 origin are visible to the right, the Control Tower is hidden behind the aircraft, and the US Navy hangar is just out of the photo's extreme left..Enjoy the day, stay dry, stay safe, stay well..
PB
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Post by PB on Apr 29, 2020 8:04:15 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 29/04/20Blue skies are back, gardens are watered, but the incoming balls of stratus riding the wind from the west suggest our blue skies are subject to rationing... In the history books of tomorrow this month will not be recorded for its weather despite being pleasantly sunny, more for the global disaster of which we are all a part.
Airfields around the country are forced to remain idle although the motives behind their enforced silence are questionable, if ever it was possible to remain socially distanced an aerodrome must be the place! Moving on, if we look back into Blackbushe's history and go back perhaps to what was happening at this time in 1944 as D-Day approached the view would be one of considerably greater activity than we might expect today.. A few days earlier 322 Squadron would have moved in, 322 being a Dutch squadron flying Griffon powered Spitfire Mk XIV's, the high altitude seekers. 322 had the specific duty of patrolling and guarding our southern coasts to drive away Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft, it being essential that our gathering D-Day fleets of ships were kept 'under wraps'. Today we can but imagine the sound and sight of these boys climbing and seeking altitude as they winged through the airspace so familiar to Blackbushe's aviators of today.322 Squadron 'in action'...It may be well over seventy years since the Spitfires of Blackbushe flew in anger, but as the windsocks of Blackbushe continue to play their part the spirit of those bygone days will always remain in our airspace..The spirit of those days has been felt on such occasions as the return of a 16 Squadron PR Spitfire to mark the airfield's 75th.. 16 Squadron famous for their PR work leading to D-Day and their blue high altitude Spitfires..... Blackbushe's 16 Squadron pilots.Today's battle requires somewhat different combat tactics...
PB
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